There has been a large market demand for denim jeans with xe2x80x9cworn looksxe2x80x9d and other value-added designs. xe2x80x9cWorn looksxe2x80x9d are created on denim jeans with the sandblast process or hand-rubbing or machine rubbing process. The denim jean is sewn and processed with sandblasting or rubbing operations, and then washed. This becomes more difficult when it is desired to cover large areas of the jean. For example, if an applied graphic pattern were to cover the entire jean, it might miss several noticeable areas on the jean and appear undesirable. If one were to attempt to form the designs on a finished garment, areas under the belt loops, inside the four pockets, inside the waistband, underneath the crotch area and underneath the fly could not get processed in finished or sewn form. Also, since it is extremely difficult to expand the jean to lie completely flat, wrinkles and areas below the rear might not be completely processed.
Other designs can be placed on denim rolls in the textile mills by discharge printing or other in-line processes. However, this process may create significant waste since the denim panels (which make up a pair of jeans) are cut from a denim textile roll in patterns. The waste denim scraps are discarded. Furthermore, if the graphic patterns are to be located in specific sections of the denim jean, it becomes difficult to cut the denim roll to the exact specifications. Therefore, only, patterns which are repeatable can be applied in this process.
Technolines , LLC is the assignee of several patents and patent applications for using lasers to process materials to change the look of those materials. One of these applications describes the production of fractal jeansxe2x80x94jeans imprinted with graphic patterns along the entire fabric area with a laser.
The present application describes lazing the patterns, e.g. fractal patterns on denim panels. The lazing may be carried out after the denim panels are cut from the textile roll and before they are sewn in finished form. Another technique involves lazing on a 60xc3x9760 inch piece of denim and cutting it into denim panels afterwards. However, this would require exact placement and accuracy when cutting the denim. Both concepts address applying the graphic pattern to every square inch of the denim jeans, such that after they are sewn, the graphic pattern is present inside the waistband, pockets and belt loops as well as visible in all the other areas of the jean. Further, for the initial technique, only the actual denim used in the sewing of the jean may be printed, and not unused denim from the textile roll. This technique allows placement of specific graphics on individual sections of the denim jean (back pockets, thigh area, waistband, riser, rear section, etc).